Re: [WEB400] performance of cgi-interactive programs

["Nathan M. Andelin" <nandelin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Mark A. Manske" <mmanske@minter-weisman.com>
> In response to a few questions everyone has about our
> "set-up" here...

Mark,

On my little 170-2290 (73 CPW), I activate 40 HTTP Server threads.  I also
use the "Keep-Alive" header in connection with the following configuration
directives:

PersistTimeout 2 minutes
MaxPersistRequest 40

It improves network performance.  The default behavior is for the HTTP
server to drop the connection after serving a page.  You might try something
similar to test performance.  Your pages reference quite a few small image
files.  The pages also provide links to PDF files.  Serving them with only 5
active HTTP server threads and dropping the connection after each request
may impact your users significantly.

Performance tuning with CGI can be a balancing act.  An active connection
puts a lock on one of the HTTP server threads.  To support 40 concurrent
users, you probably need at least 40 HTTP Server threads.  However, that may
lead to 40 active BCI jobs.  Each one of those jobs could activate your 40
CGI programs.  That could lead to 1600 CGI activations if the CGI programs
run under a named activation group.  1600 active CGI instances may put a
burden on OS/400 memory management.  It's a balancing act.  It sounds like
you may have plenty of memory.

Good luck,

Nathan M. Andelin
www.relational-data.com